Letters: Navy awards, convention center, Horton Plaza park and more

In response to “Valor amid an ambush” (Dec. 4): It takes the Navy Department over 29 months to decide to award 3 Silver Stars and a Navy Cross to highly deserving warriors? It’s no wonder our government can’t get much else done!
– Mike Randall, Spring Valley

A Dec. 3 letter to the U-T suggested the convention center be renamed in honor of all Pete Wilson’s contributions to our city. Certainly the intent is commendable, as Pete Wilson did much to bring our city into the modern era. But naming the convention center after him might be seen as a cruel joke to historians, as his support for the initial convention center was rejected by the San Diego voters. It was perhaps his one major failure during his time as mayor.

The convention center happened in large part to the contributions for two individuals. From the private sector was Doug Manchester, whose personal investment in a major hotel at the site before there was a market to support it gave other private investors the courage to follow with their own developments. And from the public sector it was Roger Hedgecock, who picked up the torch from Pete’s efforts and, riding his own honeymoon period of just having been elected mayor, pushed a successful public vote.

Pete’s vote failed in part because it saw the convention center build in the middle of town on lands the city/redevelopment agency would have to buy, thus increasing the cost dramatically. Roger’s proposal was to use land already owned by the public (the port).

It may be worth remember these two votes as we look to where to build a sports complex in the downtown area.
– Peter Q. Davis, former Centre City Development Corp. chairman, La Jolla

“Make way for park space” (Business, Nov. 30) failed to note a key aspect of the Horton Plaza financial equation. It was noted that the city gave up a $2 million per year revenue stream. That concession by the city, however, was based on a Westfield Group or CCDC valuation of their donated real estate at a highly inflated figure of around $20 million, as I recall.

It is clear that Westfield, perhaps the largest and most successful shopping mall owner in the world, had no viable tenant at the time of their proposal and for the foreseeable future. They had lost Robinsons-May and then Planet Hollywood, and at the time of the announcement a couple of years ago, they were renting the space for Halloween costume sales. The site was scarcely a $2 million a year leasehold, which was their trade-off.

The expanded park may be “priceless,” but hardly “world class,” as Westfield asserted. Developers always get the best of our city, and Westfield’s unloading of their “white elephant” to save $2 million annually, now lost to San Diego’s general fund, is no exception.
– Bill Leonard, Del Mar Heights

Let me see if I have this right. Gov. Brown blackmails voters into backing Prop. 30 with threats of catastrophic cuts to education funding. Three weeks later, before the new taxes have even taken effect, the California lottery board suddenly (highly suspiciously) announces that it is signing up for the multistate Powerball lottery, proceeds of which go to – wait for it – education funding!

Perhaps there is no need for Prop. 30 after all and the governor will rescind it. I am not holding my breath in anticipation.
– Garry Foster, Carlsbad

“Mayor-elect Filner to have direct say in hiring of 253 city positions” (Nov. 29) disclosed that the average salary for a staff employee in the Mayor’s Office is the sum of $113,610 and that at least one person earns $250,000. Do we really have to pay that much for what these people do? What qualifications and university degrees must these employees have to be hired? With all the people out of work are these salary levels necessary and competitive in the marketplace? Is some of this patronage/payback for election help?

Will it be business as usual or will our new mayor reduce his staff in number and salary cost? His recent Republican opponent offered to do so.
– Warren Ralph, San Diego

In response to James Lewis’ article on PLATO (“Time for a Pacific, Latin American cooperative,” Opinion, Nov. 30): What a wonderful idea. No one since JFK has really embraced Latin America (other than some free trade agreements) to bind those countries into a cohesive shared philosophy force in the world.

Having long experience with China commerce and some inside information, I can tell readers that what we may be proposing is too late. China has already developed huge trade with Latin America selling their manufactured goods to them in return for energy supplies and raw materials of all kinds. They have even established currency trades between them that completely eliminate the necessity of U.S dollars; our banks are out of the loop.

Threatening China with PLATO is definitely the wrong way to go. First, America is once again interfering in other countries’ affairs where it is none of our business. To isolate China is to paint them in a corner like we did to Japan in the 1930s and we all know how that worked out. Rather, we should concentrate on keeping open the seaways for international trade while building stronger bridges with all Asian nations including China for the betterment of all the people. A much younger Politburo has just been selected in China. In the next 10 years even more liberal leaders will emerge and the natural urge for freedom among the masses will steadily grow. This is definitely not the time for more U.S. saber rattling.
– Nick Waln, Temecula

In response to “Will we have flying cars? Live on Mars?” (Dec. 3): I would like to point out a few things. Like the front page of the Local section of the same edition of the U-T that had this story. It features a Japan Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which will be making nonstop flights to Japan, on final approach to Lindberg field. The airport is named for the first man to cross the Atlantic nonstop just 85 years ago. Imagine a reporter asking people in 1927 if there would be nonstop flights across oceans for a few weeks’ pay of an average American. About two grand for a round trip San Diego to Tokyo. Keep in mind that the record transatlantic crossing averaged 26.06 knots, just under 30 mph, a record that stood from 1907 to 1929 two years after Lindbergh’s flight. That record was bested by 2 whole miles per hour.

Robert Heinlein, a grand master of science fiction, was regularly asked to prognosticate on the future. Late in his life he wrote that he was almost always was too conservative in his predictions.

My final point is that I am composing this on my computer and now that I am done I will email it to the paper. I won’t bring up modern phones. None of these things were a singular breakthrough. They were all built on layer upon layer of knowledge and then combined in what would have been mind-blowing ways just a few decades before they became commonplace.
– Brant Nohlburg, Vista

I know I am writing this after the elections. My comment is that I feel sorry for the veterans in Juan Vargas’ district now. At least Bob Filner had meetings with us veterans in the Imperial Valley. Earlier this year Mr. Vargas was at the Mid-Winter Fair in Imperial Valley talking to the judges who were campaigning for their elections. Mr. Vargas never stopped by the veterans booth which was in the same area as the judges.

After the fair I was contacted by one of his representatives at my house on a Saturday because of the upcoming elections. I told the person how I felt about him not coming by our veterans booth and I invited the representative to come to our veteran meetings this year and I have yet to see any representative for Mr. Vargas’ office. It is going to be hard for Mr. Vargas to earn my trust as a veteran.

Mr. Vargas may be about education, but I think he forgets that if it was not for us veterans we would not have a great educational system.
– Rick Partridge, chairman, United Veterans Council of Imperial Valley

In response to “2012 could be one of S.D.’s warmest years” (Local, Nov. 30): From the list of temperatures given, it appears 2012 could be one of S.D.’s coolest years.
– Don Bellows, San Diego

Why is it that some of our finest restaurants insist on the offensive practice of refolding napkins when a patron departs for the restroom? This week at one of La Jolla’s higher-end establishments, a waiter carefully refolded a lady’s napkin who I had seen earlier sneezing into it. Then he headed to our table to refold one of ours. If I did not stop him, he surely would have transferred whatever she was suffering from to our table.

At the height of the flu season, I think handling napkins and then resuming a waiter’s tasks without hand-washing becomes a serious health hazard (if not a violation).

I wish all restaurants would cease this practice. If a nicely folded napkin is deemed essential, bring a fresh one and remove the old one with gloves or tongs.
– Arnie Rheingold, Carlsbad